Two Wheels Better

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I bought this unusual wheel some time ago, an 18x4.5" modded Y spoke. It was originally a standard 17x2.75" rear Y spoke for disc brake model K75 & K100 until Kosman Racing had a look at it. Luftmeister used to sell these as an "upgrade", painted white along with a K11 centre stand for added clearance. It was part number 950 in their catalogue and came with a 160/60ZR18 tyre already fitted, and a new standard 18" front wheel painted white. Remember, this was back in the day when no one was using the now-common 180/55ZR17, even 170/60ZR17 was rare, so a "phat" 160mm tyre was all the rage. I'm selling this one.Kosman, a California-based company that had been modding wheels since before Lennon wore granny spectacles, sliced off the wheel rim edge and welded Akront 18 x 3.5" flanges on either side to make it a 4.5" width and accept an 18" tyre. The wheel spins straight and true.I removed the ragged old Metzeler MEZ2 radial that had a build date of the 44th week of 2004, unscrewed the metal stem and chucked the wheel up onto my spin balancer. The bare wheel only took a single 5 gram weight! The welds are like the Werewolf of London's hair....Perfect! I'll have a piña colada, please. PM me if interested. Or learn more on eBay US.

Two Wheels Better

(Like the Zevon reference too - why is it that some lyrics just stand out and get remembered?)

Sadly, ol' Warren left us a coupla years ago, but he made One Last Record before he died that has more than a few gems on it. Whenever I'm rolling along through the high altitude, grassy plains of the eastern frontal range of Colorado I can't help but whistle along to Things to Do In Denver When You're Dead.

Last edited by Two Wheels Better on Sat Jan 26, 2019 12:24 am; edited 1 time in total

Two Wheels Better

@duck wrote:Yeah, I know our old Ks aren't Busas by any means but every little bit helps, right?

From my perspective a lighter brick is a better brick. (Says the guy who likes to ride K1100s.)

Has anyone got a bare Y spoke rear wheel easily accessible to weigh? I'm curious what it weighs as compared to this Kosman, at 5.8 kilos (12.7Lbs).

It's true that weight reduction makes a Brick feel better, more 'flickable' on the road. I loved my long-gone K75C for the combination of reduced vibes, the perception that it revved up more easily than a K100, and was at least a few kilos lighter, on average.

Reduced weight can also bring issues one normally doesn't think too much about. When I was building Big Block, I was looking at the frame and the stack of parts on the garage floor that were not going to put back on the finished machine. I had a favour due, so Klaus @ EPM made me a Wilbers rear shockie to suit a K100 that would never carry a pillion, have 80+ Lbs removed, and yet be sporty enough for corner carving. When I received it I was gobsmacked at the size of the spring. It was a wee thing. So, I got out the spanner and adjusted the preload tension as I normally do, halfway or so - too stiff and jouncy. In the end, after much fiddling, I settled on leaving it down the bottom end of its range, with damping at <1/3 of adjustment from bottom, too. As for the Marzocchi forks I found lighter springs and use 5W oil - that combo feels very supple over ripples but planted. This bike has a 120/70ZR17 front, 170/60ZR17 K1200RS tyre/wheel combo, and it spins up out back right now.

It looks as though the sun's gunna burn off this late January morning fog so perhaps a ride on BB is the order of the day.